In our reading from the Heidelberg Catechism today (Q. 76), we were taught what it means to partake of this sacrament – what it means to “eat the crucified body of Christ and to drink his shed blood.”
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This exhortation was given at King’s Cross Church (Moscow, ID) on January 22, AD 2023.
You have all you need to obey God today. If you have been born again and own a Bible – you have all the information you need to walk in His ways today.
James tells us in his Epistle that we have received the implanted Word of God which is able to save our souls. But then he gives this warning: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
In an age where access to the Word and biblical resources abound, this temptation to hear the Word but not do the Word is very real.
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This communion meditation was given at King’s Cross Church (Moscow, ID) on January 8, AD 2023.
Christmas has come to a close and we have now entered into the season of Epiphany, which recalls the visit of the Wise Men to our Lord, and is a celebration of Christ’s manifestation to the Gentiles.
This inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s covenant community is prophesied throughout the Old Testament.
One such passage is from the Prophet Malachi, where we read, “For from the rising of the sun to its setting, my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering” (Mal. 1:11).
What is interesting about this wonderful promise of a pure offering among the nations is that it was one of the most frequently cited passages by the early Church when discussing the Lord’s Supper.
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This exhortation was given at King’s Cross Church (Moscow, ID) on January 8, AD 2023.
Everybody has to do something with Christ. Every single person, when confronted with Jesus of Nazareth, must do something about Him.
The Wise Men had a great interest in Christ. Following a star they traveled from afar in order to fall down before Him in worship. They eagerly sought Him out in order to humbly lay gifts at His feet, and His presence made them “rejoice with exceedingly great joy” (Mt. 2:10).
Herod the Great also had a great interest in Christ. But he was a liar and did not truly desire to worship Him. Rather the news of this rival king greatly troubled him, and he needed to destroy him.
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I’ve been keeping track of my favorite books each year since 2015, and here now is my list for 2022. Having read fewer books this year than in past years, my list is naturally half the size. You can find all of the books I completed here.
I said in my 2021 post that I’d have liked to read Kristin Lavransdatter, and I can say that I have—but only half of it. It was amazing and then I didn’t pick it up for months and was unable to hop back in. Maybe 2023 will be the year?
1. The Return of the King — J.R.R. Tolkien
Read for the first time after re-‘reading’ the first two on audio. Fantastic. Can’t wait to visit again. What a journey. Felt like a dream.
Continue readingThis communion meditation was given at King’s Cross Church on December 18, AD 2022.
In both Matthew and Luke’s nativity accounts we are told how Christ was born in Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David.
This was to fulfill the words of the Prophet Micah when he declared unto Bethlehem that though they are too small a city to be among the clans of Judah, from them shall come forth one who is to be the ruler of Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient of days (Micah 5).
There is another significance to the location of Bethlehem, for Bethlehem in Hebrew means “House of Bread.”
It’s interesting that in his narrative, Luke points out a seemingly minor detail not just once but three times. He notes that Mary laid her firstborn son in a manger, for there was no place for them in the inn. This detail surely highlights the humility of the incarnation, that our Lord and King was not born in a palace but a stable.
But it also points to something else. Here in Bethlehem, in the House of Bread, lays a child in a feeding trough—the One who is the Bread of Life. And here at this Table, we remember how from that day on His humility increased. This Bread of Life was eventually broken for us and for the life of the world.
So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.
This exhortation was given at King’s Cross Church (Moscow, ID) on December 18, AD 2022.
Before the coming of our Lord, God sent John the Baptist, to ready His people for the great arrival of their Messiah. He was a forerunner, a herald whose cry of repentance was to prepare the Bride to meet her Bridegroom.
As it was written in the Book of Isaiah,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
Prepare the way of the Lord,
Make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
And every mountain and hill shall be made low,
And the crooked shall become straight,
And the rough places shall become level ways,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
I am so thankful to have worked with Mike Lawyer at Christ Church for the past five years and had the opportunity to sit under his teaching and example in classes and observing his counseling sessions.
One thing that I will always remember from Mike is how he cheerfully cared for those he met with. He was never phased by someone’s sin or suffering, but always pointed them to Christ. He taught me that sometimes the most important question to ask someone is, “Where is Jesus in all of this?” A question that brings their focus to the center of everything – our sympathetic Savior and the comfort that He offers in all circumstances.
And for Mike, Jesus was always present. Jesus was at his side through the end of this earthly life, welcoming him further up and further in. And now Mike is present with Him in perfect fellowship forevermore and has heard the words we all desire to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”
It is now all pure joy for Mike in the presence of his master and friend. And it will be pure joy for any that will come to Christ, for He freely offers forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.
Don’t delay! Run to Christ today, like our friend and pastor Mike did. Glory awaits.
This sacrament which we are about to partake of together is a visible reminder of our Lord’s first Advent.
The true physicality of the incarnation is matched here by the physicality of this Supper. The eternal Son, begotten of the Father, truly became man.
You could behold Him with your eyes. You could reach out and touch Him with your hands. Just as you see and touch this bread and wine here today.
And this is sacrament is also a reminder of Christ’s second Advent. As the Apostle Paul says in the words of institution proclaimed each week, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”
So here at this Table we look back at our Lord’s first Advent and His work on our behalf.
We look forward to His second Advent, awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of our great God and Savior.
And we behold now our Lord, for He comes to us here in this moment in simple bread and wine.
So come and welcome to Jesus Christ.
This exhortation was given at King’s Cross Church (Moscow, ID) on November 27, AD 2022.
Welcome to the first day of Advent in the year of our Lord 2022.
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Glad Tidings of Great Joy 